Erba
World: 'Erba *'Location: 'Subsector Dominus *'Type: 'Civilised Desert World *'Tithe: 'Pharmecum Erba tithes large quantities of a medicinal drug derived from the root of a desert flower known as ''Erban Bell. This drug is used throughout the sector to heal the sick and wounded, but an alternate, more concentrated form of the drug is capable of driving a person into a temporary state of incredible vitatility. *'''Population: 1.2 billion 200 000 000 *'Government: '''Imperial Dictatorship. Erba is ruled by a the '''Habudin Dynasty' of the Nobility, who seized power from the previous rulers - a cabal of wealthy spice Lords - with the support of the populace in mid M40. Their popularity at the time and the minimal drop in tithe motivated the Imperium to officially recognize their rule, and they have been the monarchy of Erba ever since. The current head of the dynasty is King Azgah Habudin, an aged man who is popular amongst the population for his charitable nature. 'Description' Erba was first colonised by humanity during the Dark Age of Technology, a harsh, blistering world an unforunate sleeper ship found itself upon. Forced to artificially adapt with reflective shelters & coolant pools, the settlers eked out their existence for many generations until they started to physically adapt. Their skin & hair darkened, their metabolisms changed, and their bodies' own heat production slowed to a crawl. Isolated far from the Core Worlds, Erba passed in and of Imperial control several times, though the transition was rarely violent, and usually either the result of the Imperium being cut off by outside events or the Imperium simply reestablishing contact. In M41 Erba is still a large, hot world of expansive desert sands at the upper limits of temperature for human adaptability, and the local populace is extremely resistant to high temperatures. Unfortunately this leaves the natives feeling cold on temperate worlds and freezing to death on worlds even slightly below average temperature. For example, a native Erban would not survive for ten minutes on a world like Mormark even with protective gear. Equally however an Erban could walk across a mile of searing sand under a sun that would render a lesser man to heatstroke within moments, without even breaking a sweat. Erban civilisation is centred around large cities constructed around the deltas and junctions of great rivers that flow through the mighty deserts. A chief component of the world's economy is a sizeable spice trade as it is needed for preserving food for any period of time on the searing hot world, and entire settlements are built around cultivating and harvesting spice. Erba is an institutionally feudalistic world, and each city and town is ruled by a local noble dynasty who can usually trace their lineage back for thousands of years. The Habudin Dynasty '''controls the planetary capital of '''Khumair - the largest and most powerful region by far, and all the world's Lords and the official PDF (known as the Royal Guard) swear fealty to them. However the rule of local Lords is not enforced by anything but their own money and personal troops (known as Regional Guard), and the Habudins rarely intervene in disputes between Lords or between a Lord & their own people - even violent ones - unless they threaten the planet's tithe production. Therefore while Erba is a mostly peaceful place (after all, not even Erbans wish to exert themselves more than is necessary in such heat), conflict between neighbouring cities & peoples are not unheard of, and can often be awfully violent when old grudges are involved. One of the many plants cultivated is a desert flower known as Erban Bell, and drugs derived from this plant have exceptional healing properties. Painkillers, antibiotes and antiviral drugs can be synthesised using compounds found within Erban Bell, however another, more concentrated drug that can be created from it is known as Desert Storm. Desert Storm invigorates the user to almost superhuman levels, with increased reflexes, agility, perception, strength & toughness, along with an almost complete immunity to pain. However Desert Storm is highly addictive, mentally impairing when in-use & extremely expensive, and overdosing on Desert Storm turns the user into a mindless, raving berserker with the ability and will to slaughter all they come across. Desert Storm is popular though rare among underhive gangs and also finds use among assassins of all kinds, particularly those of Death Cults. Desert Storm also used to be popular for recreational purposes amongst Sector Nobility, but it has fallen into disfavour after the nobleman Lord Arnyr San tore his wife and seventeen children to literal pieces with his bare hands after overdosing on Desert Storm. *'Technology:' - Imperial Only the hardiest technology keeps working in the hot conditions. *'Military:' Erba's official PDF - the Royal Guard - swear fealty to the Habudin Dynasty and is drawn primarily from Khumair, and they are large, well trained & well equipped. Meanwhile each smaller city & region will have its own 'Regional Guard' who are controlled by the local Lord, who tend to be far less trained & less equipped than the Royal Guard. The best Regional Guard from the lands most loyal to the Habudins are also inducted into the Royal Guard. All Erbans favour flame and melta weapons in combat, claiming that the backwash of these weapons is pleasantly cooling. Some of their elite units also have access to Desert Storm, providing temporary supersoldiers on demand. Erba's SDF is fairly small, consisting of a few defence monitor squadrons and some orbital defence platforms. *'Strategic importance: 'Media Erba's medicinal drugs are used across the Sector in medical supplies from Imperial Guard medkits to Hospistaller surgeries. However it has no truly vital function. *'Loyalty: '80% The Erban people take great pride in the knowledge that their exports help fellow Imperials far and wide, however the divergent culture and occasionally conflicting regions can sometimes give rise to seperatist sentiments. 'Notable Locations' Erba's is a relatively small terrestrial world, though as only 30% of its surface is water (mostly around the poles) it still carries as much landmass as typical terrestrial planets. Almost all of this landmass is arid desert though a few narrow rivers (that often dry up during the summer months) wind their way through the sands, forming small oases in places. Most of the planet's cities & settlements are located around permanent oases or river deltas, where the fresh water can sutain the population and the periodic flood seasons irrigate the surrounding lands for farming. Erba's climate is intolerably hot, so much so that an average human from another world will find themselves rapidly succumbing to heatstroke without adequate precautions. However native Erbans themselves have adapted to the environment, and though they still find the climate warm they easily tolerate it (unfortunately this puts them at great risk if placed into a cold climate). The water cycle is highly uniform, with groundwater evaporating from the sand in the intense heat before collecting in great clouds above small mountain clusters dotted around the deserts. Come winter (which is slightly colder though still incredibly hot), these clouds burst from their constrained locations all across the desert, bringing with them a brief season of torrential rainfall. This rainfall collects in the rivers & deltas and floods the surrounding sands - rendering them suitable for crop growth - and over the next year the irrigated sands will slowly evaporate once again, renewing the cycle. *'Khumair' - The capital region of Erba, located within & around the colossal Khumair Delta where the planet's largest river meets the northern ocean. It is the largest & most populous region by far, housing around a hundred million souls within its borders. Whilst Old Khumair is its largest single city, there are numerous smaller cities located around the delta along with vast tracts of farmable floodlands and the smaller settelments that tend to them. Khumair is defended by the Royal Guard, Erba's official PDF. Notable locations in Khumair: **'Old Khumair' - Located in the centre of Khumair on the largest island within the Khumair Delta, and home to almost ten million souls. Old Khumair is an ancient city made of sandstone & limestone constructions of enormous size, where the most important buildings & facilities on the planet are located. Notable locations in Old Khumair: ***'Khum Palace' - The historic seat of the rulers of Khumair. This massive complex of gleaming limestone pillars & structures is an incredibly impressive example of architecture, and dominates the landscape of Old Khumair. For many centuries this was home to the chambers of Erba's ruling cabal of spice lords, where they indulged in decadance and excess at the expense of the people to their hearts' content. It now serves as the home of the Habudin Dynasty. Notable inhabitants: ****'King Azgah Habudin' The current planetary governor of Erba. King Azgah is popular among the people for his charitable nature and considerate political stance. ****'Prince Maulah Habudin' - Elder son of Azgah and heir to the throne of Erba. Maulah is headstrong & inexperienced but shares the good nature of his father. ****'Prince Effrez Habudin' - Younger son of Azgah. Effrez is an impulsive, amoral young man who abuses his power to indulge in pleasures of violence & carnality with the lowborn population. ****'Princess Laella Habudin' - Sole daughter of Azgah. Laella is a strikingly beautiful young woman with more than her share of smarts, but she prefers to distance herself from politics. ***'The Temple of the Emperor '- The religious centre of Erba, this massive structure is second only to the Khum Palace is size and its gleaming obelisks rise higher into the sky than any other structure on the planet. It is the main seat of the Ecclesiarchy on Erba, and plays host to their priests along with thousands of worshippers daily. Notable inhabitants: ****'Cardinal Mahmud Inat' - The head of the Ecclesiarchy on Erba. Cardinal Inat is a fiery, rousing speaker who keeps the population's faith high. ***'Residential Areas' - Old Khumair is home to the wealthiest families and Nobility on Erba. Many of them have their wealth in pharmaceutical or farmland holdings, though others have grown rich off financial pursuits or manufacturing the technology used on Erba. The large limestone palaces and homes of Old Khumair's wealthy people are tended to by armies of servants and are luxuriously appointed, favouring an open plan architecture with large open sides and passageways to allow airflow and keep them cool. Using minimialist body paints & loincloths rather than full clothing is also popular among Erba's wealthy people, as it keeps them cool and serves as artistic high fashion. Notable inhabitants: ****'Iziar Dynasty' - This young dynasty accrued their wealth by introducing electronic cookery HUDs to the Erban consumer market, a humble but lucrative product that quickly earned them a fortune. Ambitious & quick witted, the Dynasty is still based on Erba but they have spread quickly throughout the low-level Nobility across the Sector through business partnerships & marriage - thanks in no small part to the dynasty's notably handsome genetics - earning them a reputation as over-eager upstarts among the more senior dynasties. ****'Suamuhn Dynasty' - An old, large family of wealthy farmland owners. The Suamuhn palace is located not far from the Khum Palace and is a magnificent structure that plays host to frequent great parties for the local Nobility. ****'Eferniti Dynasty' - A dynasty of lauded warriors with a strong tradition of service in the Royal Guard of Khumair. The Eferniti Dynasty are staunch allies of the Habudins and their most trusted protectors. Notable members: *****'General Faed Eferniti' - The commander of the Royal Guard of Khumair, Erba's PDF. General Eferniti is a former Imperial Guard officer who saw action in the Ionian Crusades, and is King Azgah Habudin's best & oldest friend. **'Thabeus '- This city is located at the mouth of the Khumair Delta, and is a vital port city that facilitates mass trade between Khumair and other regions bordering the northern ocean. It is a bustling trade city where local & imperial merchants trade in large amounts of spice, curatives & desert storm, and has a large starport in its centre to move supplies to & from orbit aboard large barges. **'Khumair Floodlands' - These vast tracts of farmland extend for hundreds of miles, irrigated by the annual floods and dedicated to growing food for Khumair and other plants for trade - such as spice & curative flowers. The Khumair Floodlands are vital to the survival of Khumair, as food is already relatively scarce in the searing environment. *'Ardanaptra' - This small region is located far to the south of Khumair, in a delta on coast of the southern ocean. Ardanaptra's rulers, the Sita Dynasty, have made no secret of their desires for greater lands & power, and have been building up the strength of their Regional Guard for many years. *'Mempheres' - A tiny region located around a large oasis in the middle of the desert. Mempheres is a lush haven of tranquility in an endless sea of relentless sand, and a popular destination for the wealthy seeking to relax. Category:Subsector Dominus Category:Planet Category:Imperial World